White Oaks residents rattled by violence

Police say witnesses co-operating with investigation

Whitby Shooting

White Oaks Shooting

Ron Pietroniro / Metroland

WHITBY -- Four people were injured, one seriously after a shooting at 101 White Oaks Crt. Emergency crews transported a victim out of the building following the shooting just after noon. February 21, 2013.

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White Oaks Court swarmed with police officers after a number of residents reported shots being fired shortly after noon Thursday. Shocked residents watched as one after another, the young men were wheeled from 101 White Oaks Crt. to waiting ambulances.

Police cars led the way, sirens screaming, as an ambulance transported the most seriously wounded of the victims.

"I want to leave this place," said Karla Ramirez Quiros, a resident of the building for just over a year.

Cops arrived to find four men, whose ages and identities have not been released, suffering from gunshot wounds, she said.

"One is critical and the other three also received gunshot wounds," Sgt. van Rooy said. "The three others, their injuries are not life-threatening."

The most seriously wounded of the victims was airlifted to a Toronto hospital where he was listed in critical condition, Sgt. van Rooy said.

No arrests have been made. Police did not release suspect or vehicle descriptions.

Police have issued a "very strong appeal" for information, and so far have met with cooperation from witnesses, Sgt. van Rooy said.

"There are a number of leads we are following up on," she told reporters.

Numerous police officers were present at the scene. Heavily-armed tactical unit officers swept the building early in the afternoon, and uniformed cops and detectives were going floor to floor seeking witnesses. Canine officers prowled the grounds around the apartment complex.

Sgt. van Rooy indicated police have a number of potential scenes within the building that may be linked to the shootings.

"Essentially the building itself is our scene at this time," she said.

It's not known if an earlier incident, in which a shooting victim turned up at a Scarborough hospital, is linked to the Whitby violence, Sgt. van Rooy said.

Police wouldn't confirm whether any guns had been seized.

The shootings followed an earlier fire on the fourth floor of the building that left residents rattled. As they gathered outside Thursday afternoon, residents were still trying to piece together events leading up to the shootings.

Resident Desmon Langsford said he heard a "loud commotion" above his fourth-floor apartment around 12:15 p.m., which included three to four loud bangs.

When his partner Jessica Hanley left a short time later to get groceries, she said she saw blood in the elevator and headed back to the apartment.

For many residents the shooting is the last straw in an area that has seen a frequent police presence.

Sean Crane, who awoke to a heavy police presence outside and inside his building, says he will be thinking about moving.

"I woke up to this fiasco, there was tons of cops flying everywhere, EMS and SWAT everywhere, running around the building," he said, noting he didn't hear any gunshots.

"I don't want to see this happening around here. We've lived here two years too long, the police are always here."

Eric Vice, who lives across the street, says he has grown used to police responding to calls at the building.

"It's not the first thing of this type we've seen in this building," he said.

"They did a major guns and gangs sweep here two years ago, but I guess they didn't get it all out."

Sierra Edwards, a Durham College student who lives at 100 White Oaks, rushed home after hearing about the violence to check on her two-year-old son, who attends daycare on the ground floor of 101. The daycare was still locked down as she waited outside, enduring the cold.

"It concerns me because no one has any answers. I'm shocked, I always heard stories about White Oaks but I never expected anything like this."

Nearby West Lynde Public School and Henry Street High School were locked down for about 10 minutes beginning at 1:30 p.m., with doors locked so no one could go into or out of the school. The measure was lifted after police gave the all clear. The Catholic school board did not lock down any of its schools but did let parents know about traffic congestion in the area because of roads being closed.